MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT

There's no one way to market a small business. So how do you get the word out? Experts say you must experiment...and really stick with it.

- KIM KAVIN

Marketing opportunities are endless, but marketing budgets are finite. Is it better for a mom-and-pop business to put money into online and social media marketing, or to invest in real-life sponsorships and events? 

As with many things in business, you can only find out through trial and error, says Rus Graham, cofounder of New England-based Rushton Gregory Communications.

"The difficulty with marketing programs is that everyone is unique," Graham says. "There isn't a cookie-cutter approach."

Graham urges clients to think about the difference between qualitative and quantitative marketing. A qualitative opportunity might be something like a local summer fair where a business can set up a booth, and the owner can have high-quality, in-person interactions with possible customers. By comparison, a quantitative opportunity is something like digital advertising, where the goal is getting in front of as many eyeballs as possible.